Group Sues School Districts for Serving Students Processed Meats

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A public health focused physicians’ organization has turned to a creative approach to put an end to feeding young children highly processed foods containing potentially pernicious chemicals of concern–many of which have been the focus of scientific research reported over the past several years by CFL. The food additives typically contained in processed meats in the U.S. are no small matter…several of these synthetic and industrialized chemicals have been linked in scientific studies to myriad of adverse health conditions:

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“What is in processed meat in the U.S.? Additives include nitrites / nitrates, BHA, BHT, benzoates, calcium propionate, gallates, synthetic phosphates, GMOs (via animal feed) and the subsequent increase in pesticide residue, autolyzed yeast and calcium caseinate (See: monosodium glutamate (MSG) in the FATAL guide), animal drugs and antibiotics, and a host of other preservatives and additives are all standard fare in the processed meat aisle of U.S. grocery stores.”

An advocacy group sued the Los Angeles school district for serving hot dogs and other processed meats to students, arguing that they increase the risk of cancer…

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine filed the lawsuit asking a court to ban the district from offering processed meats. It seeks the same ban for the Poway school district in San Diego County…A Los Angeles teacher and two parents of Poway district students joined the suit.

The suit, filed in San Diego County, says there is a “recognized association between eating processed meats … and developing cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.”

While the lawsuit names the entire state, the Physicians Committee focused on the two school districts because “we looked at menus throughout the state and found these menus to be particularly full of processed meat,” spokeswoman Laura Anderson said. “Additionally, we had residents in these districts reach out to us and ask for our help in improving the meals served in their local schools.”

The Physicians Committee, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit…sent a petition last month urging Amtrak to eliminate processed meats from its menus…

The lawsuit cites a 2015 report by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer that labeled processed meats as carcinogenic to humans…The lawsuit also cites various other studies it says have linked processed meats to increased risks of cardiovascular and other diseases…

The Center for Science in the Public Interest asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture last year to require labels on packages of processed meat to include warnings to consumers that the food contains cancer-causing chemicals.